Oval returns with two new releases

Markus Popp will release an EP and a double-disc album this summer on Thrill Jockey.

Following a hiatus of nearly nine years, electronic innovator Markus Popp, AKA Oval, will return this summer with two new records on Thrill Jockey.

Between 1993 and 2001, Oval created some of the most influential avant-garde music of the '90s. Along with original band mates Sebastian Oschatz and Frank Metzger, Popp pioneered a deconstructive approach to music that came to be known as glitch, making use of sounds like discs skipping to evoke the idea of technological failure.

Popp's first release this summer will be a 15 track EP called Oh, on which he attempts to reign in his unconventional approach to music making. Though the overall sound is still very jumbled and chaotic, there are many recognizable organic sounds, including basic instruments like drums and guitar. Popp explains:

After years of dissection and denial, I wanted to try making "real" music for a change. The design goals for the short side B tracks were to attain the sense of a familiar sound and "ringtone." While it took me years to get the tech aspect down, the tracks themselves are pretty much recorded live and from here, I am very much looking forward to evolving this setup like a real band.

Nonetheless, the recording process was not exactly conventional: Popp limited himself to cheap software and plugins, and produced the entire record on a five-year-old PC he bought for $500.

Details on the double-disc album are still forthcoming, though Thrill Jockey has confirmed it will be released this August.